Desk Report
Publish: 08 Aug 2021, 11:20 pm
The Taliban captured two more provincial capitals on Sunday. (Photo: Collected)
The Taliban captured two more provincial capitals Sunday
as they gained ground in their fight to take over Afghanistan's cities after
seizing much of the countryside in recent months.
The insurgents have snatched up four provincial capitals
since Friday in a rapid offensive that appears to have overwhelmed government
forces, reports AFP.
Kunduz and Sar-e-Pul in the north fell within hours of
each other Sunday, lawmakers and residents in the cities confirmed, but not
without fierce fighting.
A Kunduz resident described the city as being enveloped
in "total chaos".
"After some fierce fighting, the mujahideen, with
the grace of God, captured the capital of Kunduz," the Taliban said in a
statement.
"The mujahideen also captured Sar-e-Pul city, the
government buildings and all the installations there."
Parwina Azimi, a women's rights activist in Sar-e-Pul,
told AFP by phone that government officials and the remaining forces had
retreated to a barracks about three kilometres (two miles) from the city.
"A plane came... but could not (land)," she
said.
Kunduz, however, is the most significant Taliban gain
since the insurgents launched an offensive in May as foreign forces began the
final stages of their withdrawal.
It has been a perennial target for the Taliban, who
briefly overran the city in 2015 and again in 2016 but never managed to hold it
for long.
The ministry of defence said government forces were
fighting to retake key installations.
"The commando forces have launched a clearing
operation. Some areas, including the national radio and TV buildings, have been
cleared of the terrorist Taliban," it said in a statement.
Kabul's inability to hold the north may prove crucial to
the government's long-term survival.
Northern Afghanistan has long been considered an
anti-Taliban stronghold that saw some of the stiffest resistance to militant
rule in the 1990s.
The region continues to be home to several militias and
is also a fertile recruiting ground for the country's armed forces.
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Topic : The Taliban Afghanistan
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